The beers of Iwakuni: Het Anker Golden Carolus Christmas

Since It's Christmas eve here in Japan and I have duty tomorrow (which means no alcohol) I'm doing this review now. The beer is Golden Carolus Christmas and it's one of my personal favorites (mostly because it's been marked half off at the PX). A little information about the brewery. Het Anker started off as a hospital that also had a small brewing operation in the 15th century. The hospital was a centerpiece of the town of Mechelen and in 1471 Charles the Bold declared that all of the beer that was brewed for the hospital was free of taxes and excises. in 1872 the Van Breedam family bought the brewery and modernized it with all new equipment and a then state of the art steam broiler. In 1990  Charles Leclef (of the Van Breedam family) inherited the brewery, modernized it again, and started a return to the special brews of Het Anker's heyday during the reign of the Dukes of Burgundy. They produce a variety of bottle conditioned strong Belgian beers in their Golden Carolus line and a few others which I'm not positive are available outside of Belgium.

Golden Carolus Christmas is given the following introduction of the Brewery's website: "For more than 35 years we had to miss the Christmas beer but in 2002 the tradition was restored with Golden Carolus Christmas. It’s a strong, dark ruby red beer with character and contains an alcohol percentage of 10.5 % alc.vol. Brewed in August, the beer rests a few months to reach an optimal balance. Three kinds of hops and 6 different kinds of herbs and spices define the rich taste of this Christmas beer. Top-class!". The website says that the bottles have a shelf life of three years, while the kegs are only eight months. The bottle I have tonight technically passed it's prime on the 10th of last month, but it should be fine, one month is not a great deal of time for something with a three year shelf life. The scene on the label features Santa Clause being drawn by the Carolus horses over the snow laden city of Machelen (featuring the cathedral of St. Rumbold). It is a 750ml wine bottle with a caged pop cork you commonly find of strong Belgian beers. It has a discription on the back, but it's not in English so I don't exactly know what it says. From what I can understand, it says to serve between 48 and 53 °F and is 10.5% ABV. I happen to have a Golden Carolus Goblet, so I will be using that. This beer usually has a nice head, so let's see it.

The cork erupts from the bottle and a heavy fruity aroma fills the area. Nose from the bottle, is licorice with fruitiness and just a little boozy. It is a deep and dark red color with a thick beige head. It is difficult to see, but it has quite a bit of life in the glass, maintaining the head quite well. Nose from the glass is similar to the bottle, but just a little spacey and with a hint of sour. On first sip, it has strong licorice flavor with spiciness and a fruity and slightly boozy finish. It is a full bodied beer, with low acidity but a strong warming feeling, just a little heady as well. I typically don't have water with my reviews, but I might this time as this is a very strong beer in a big bottle. I'm not trying to black out tonight, I have important things to do in the morning.

I've been talking to people, so I don't have a rant this blog. Enjoy the holidays with people instead of being alone in a room.

Final thoughts. I love this beer, it is my favorite Christmas beer. I would highly suggest it to anybody, and in fact I have in the past. I give this beer my blurry seal of approval. Merry Christmas, Noel, Prost, and Kampai Y'all!